Against the backdrop of a tumultuous 2020 marked by pandemics, elections,…
Enlightened Letters
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An exploration of the profound and transformative relationship between two iconic figures of Latin American cinema and literature: filmmaker Manuel Antín and writer Julio Cortázar. Set in the vibrant 1960s, the documentary delves into their epistolary exchange, which bridged continents and sparked creative collaboration. Through their letters, Antín adapted three of Cortázar's stories into films, forging a unique artistic partnership that transcended boundaries of medium and geography.
The film not only celebrates their shared artistic vision but also reflects on the enduring impact of their collaboration on Latin American culture. By intertwining personal correspondence with cinematic history, Enlightened Letters offers an intimate glimpse into the creative process and the friendship that shaped it.
“A journey through a fruitful friendship between cinema and literature.” – Adolfo C. Martínez, La Nación
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Distributor subjects
Cinema Studies; Biography; Visual Arts; Literature; History; Latin American Studies; South America; Culture + IdentityKeywords
WEBVTT
00:00:23.854 --> 00:00:26.162
Bobby is much better now.
00:00:27.122 --> 00:00:31.364
As for the garden, I´m still
thinking about a gardener.
00:00:35.190 --> 00:00:38.599
This morning Nico
asked about you.
00:00:43.435 --> 00:00:46.534
I could also see you
as something distant, you know.
00:00:46.912 --> 00:00:48.312
Something unreal.
00:00:48.734 --> 00:00:50.534
But you don´t care about it,
of course.
00:00:51.684 --> 00:00:53.602
I could be very real
if you want me to.
00:00:54.667 --> 00:00:56.600
Both of us could.
00:00:57.520 --> 00:00:59.441
Sometimes I think
you would like that.
00:00:59.588 --> 00:01:01.478
But every time I want
to hug you...
00:01:04.067 --> 00:01:05.933
What would happen then?
00:01:15.667 --> 00:01:17.467
What would happen then?
00:01:31.567 --> 00:01:33.222
Mario!
00:01:45.100 --> 00:01:50.207
Please, forgive my continuous
meddling in the field of image.
00:01:50.787 --> 00:01:56.502
ENLIGHTENED LETTERS
00:01:58.339 --> 00:02:02.037
Usually, I try to match exactly
what you have done.
00:02:02.600 --> 00:02:10.506
Other times, I have to make up
a situation or an image...
00:02:15.226 --> 00:02:19.475
This is the sound of ice
in a glass filled with
00:02:19.631 --> 00:02:23.261
a mature rum
that I brought from Havana.
00:02:23.518 --> 00:02:26.297
It really helps when I have
to work with Circe.
00:02:26.367 --> 00:02:29.700
Damn it! These dialogues
are a hell of a lot of work,
00:02:29.792 --> 00:02:32.489
but at the same time,
they are fascinating.
00:02:32.619 --> 00:02:35.407
Last night I heard a good joke:
00:02:35.784 --> 00:02:40.900
A new shaving blade
is on the market.
00:02:41.064 --> 00:02:43.394
What is the brand slogan?
00:02:44.706 --> 00:02:49.272
“You won´t need soap or water,
your tears will be enough.”
00:02:50.614 --> 00:02:52.686
From my window I can see
the patio of my house.
00:02:52.733 --> 00:02:55.777
Aurora has just arrived
with a bunch of flowers
00:02:55.933 --> 00:02:59.304
on one hand,
on the other hand the newspaper
00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:01.510
and half a baguette.
00:03:02.345 --> 00:03:04.530
This means we will be
having lunch soon.
00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:09.634
Listen, Manuel.
I got myself into a mess here.
00:03:09.675 --> 00:03:15.384
On this part of scene 16...
00:03:15.409 --> 00:03:17.409
I would include a written legend...
00:03:19.200 --> 00:03:21.133
I will tell you
which phrase, of course.
00:03:21.325 --> 00:03:27.188
Sometime after, this legend
would disappear and be replaced
00:03:27.315 --> 00:03:30.560
by a voice that would
end the phrase.
00:03:35.987 --> 00:03:40.027
Having found the literature
of Julio Cortázar,
00:03:40.067 --> 00:03:44.506
an unknown writer
in the 50s and 60s,
00:03:44.700 --> 00:03:48.886
I discovered that Cortázar was
the writer I wished I had been,
00:03:49.100 --> 00:03:52.519
and that film making
was a wonderful way
00:03:52.633 --> 00:03:55.608
of plagiarizing the writer
without sinning.
00:03:55.800 --> 00:03:58.918
Taking to the movies what
I would have liked to write.
00:03:59.100 --> 00:04:03.789
Once, Cortázar returned
the compliment and told me
00:04:03.833 --> 00:04:06.289
that the movies I made
where the ones
00:04:06.433 --> 00:04:09.623
he would have made
had he been a film director.
00:04:10.115 --> 00:04:13.960
So, neither of us
was happy with what we were
00:04:14.133 --> 00:04:15.855
and wished we were
the other one.
00:04:15.964 --> 00:04:19.452
So, that is the Borgean reality
of my relationship
00:04:19.533 --> 00:04:23.327
with Cortázar, from whom
I filmed four books
00:04:23.367 --> 00:04:24.967
in three movies.
00:04:34.833 --> 00:04:40.031
Manuel, Manuel, what I´m about
to tell you from now
00:04:40.133 --> 00:04:44.804
till the end of our chat
is a bit retrospective.
00:04:44.925 --> 00:04:49.752
After several days,
your letter has arrived.
00:04:51.133 --> 00:04:54.179
I answered part of it
and sent it by express mail
00:04:54.267 --> 00:04:55.844
in the afternoon.
00:04:56.016 --> 00:04:58.867
So, by the time you hear
my voice on this tape
00:04:59.200 --> 00:05:01.900
you will have already heard
about all these details.
00:05:02.021 --> 00:05:04.064
The letters were
an inconvenience.
00:05:04.200 --> 00:05:06.469
They were sent by mail,
all of them in handwriting.
00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:09.907
A few letters were typed,
you know.
00:05:10.259 --> 00:05:13.859
He sent them by plane
and the letters arrived
00:05:14.102 --> 00:05:16.724
15 days later.
00:05:16.867 --> 00:05:19.386
Conversations got mixed up.
00:05:19.933 --> 00:05:23.747
Sometimes he talked about a
letter we had not received yet.
00:05:24.059 --> 00:05:25.896
It was a mess.
00:05:26.103 --> 00:05:30.932
I guess there were problems
with our mailing service here.
00:05:31.467 --> 00:05:34.156
Friday, October 6th, 1965.
00:05:34.200 --> 00:05:37.654
\"Dear Ponchi, María Marta
and Manuel: I´m glad my niece
00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:40.768
came to this world several days
before the due date;
00:05:40.867 --> 00:05:43.665
that shows her energetic
and determined personality.\"
00:05:43.933 --> 00:05:46.776
\"I predict it: in the future,
while her classmates
00:05:46.867 --> 00:05:49.658
are solving second grade equations,
00:05:49.800 --> 00:05:53.928
she will be climbing trees
and examining bird nests.\"
00:05:54.033 --> 00:05:55.583
\"She will be a friend of the wind,
00:05:55.669 --> 00:05:57.421
of untied hair, of abandoned dogs,
00:05:57.467 --> 00:06:00.146
of books with no cover
and tough boys.\"
00:06:00.576 --> 00:06:03.180
\"With all those things and a bit
of luck, she will be happy.\"
00:06:03.253 --> 00:06:05.050
\" I, her uncle, touch her
with this magic wand
00:06:05.085 --> 00:06:06.619
and foretell this.\"
00:06:07.100 --> 00:06:09.014
My name is Ponchi Mopurgo.
00:06:09.067 --> 00:06:14.204
I am a set designer
and Manuel´s wife.
00:06:14.830 --> 00:06:21.179
Sometimes, he says he married me to save
on production expenses.
00:06:22.654 --> 00:06:27.002
I married a stage designer
whose father was a musician.
00:06:27.100 --> 00:06:33.510
In this way, a great part of the
expenses were covered by my marriage.
00:06:34.033 --> 00:06:38.290
Manuel, I think I will have
the tape recorder nearby,
00:06:38.533 --> 00:06:41.206
and tell you some things
during the breaks
00:06:41.335 --> 00:06:43.130
or even during work.
00:06:43.333 --> 00:06:47.004
First of all, and I think
this is very important,
00:06:47.246 --> 00:06:50.486
if you read the dialogues
with your eyes only,
00:06:50.604 --> 00:06:54.318
without using your voice,
not even mentally...
00:06:54.424 --> 00:06:58.660
This was the only recorded
letter he wrote to me.
00:06:59.328 --> 00:07:06.017
He wanted me to know
the ideas he came up with
00:07:06.134 --> 00:07:08.470
while writing the dialogues
of Circe.
00:07:08.724 --> 00:07:12.812
He left Argentina in the 50s,
00:07:13.007 --> 00:07:16.271
not precisely for political reasons.
00:07:16.433 --> 00:07:20.602
He left because his political
ideas were different.
00:07:20.967 --> 00:07:23.466
He was not persecuted,
not at all.
00:07:23.720 --> 00:07:26.515
But he could not return
to his country,
00:07:26.648 --> 00:07:31.095
coming back was very difficult
at that time.
00:07:31.541 --> 00:07:36.355
In a letter, he said that
he was not afraid of bullets,
00:07:36.491 --> 00:07:39.326
he was afraid of being struck
by a speeding bullet.
00:07:40.913 --> 00:07:47.009
He had a particular way
of referring to important
00:07:47.312 --> 00:07:50.845
and not important things.
00:07:51.016 --> 00:07:56.492
He was a great observer
and it was funny that he made
00:07:56.753 --> 00:08:03.987
all that mise-en-scène
about the comments he made
00:08:04.133 --> 00:08:07.265
to the future film.
00:08:15.161 --> 00:08:18.129
Neither of us were nobody
at that time, you know.
00:08:18.418 --> 00:08:22.474
I am still nobody
but he was lucky to die
00:08:22.500 --> 00:08:27.796
and became an extraordinary
model of our literature.
00:08:28.026 --> 00:08:31.913
I have memories of things
that don´t exist anymore.
00:08:32.327 --> 00:08:34.756
As waiting for the critics review,
00:08:34.842 --> 00:08:37.538
in a bar on Lavalle street.
00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:40.970
Waiting for the reviews
which predicted the success
00:08:41.067 --> 00:08:42.600
or the failure of the film.
00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:46.282
Nothing was digital then
and movies premiered
00:08:46.367 --> 00:08:47.977
on Thursdays.
00:08:48.063 --> 00:08:52.765
I also remember spending times
of plenty and times of want.
00:08:53.124 --> 00:08:54.933
Losing apartments,
buying apartments,
00:08:55.133 --> 00:08:58.765
taking mortgages.
Having a car, not having a car.
00:08:59.400 --> 00:09:00.838
All our life was like that.
00:09:01.062 --> 00:09:03.762
If you want to make movies,
you should know that.
00:09:03.868 --> 00:09:05.922
At least, that’s the way it was
some years ago.
00:09:06.150 --> 00:09:08.599
There are many things
I write on the dialogue.
00:09:08.755 --> 00:09:11.929
I´m a bit afraid
of misunderstandings,
00:09:12.413 --> 00:09:18.599
of your disagreement about
things that are alright for me.
00:09:18.855 --> 00:09:22.975
The problem is that we are
so far away from each other.
00:09:35.188 --> 00:09:38.230
He always said that Hollywood
producers would come here
00:09:38.256 --> 00:09:41.956
to shoot one of his movies.
So, when they received a call
00:09:42.051 --> 00:09:43.718
from Buenos Aires, they said:
00:09:43.767 --> 00:09:47.724
“This is the first thing
we are going to do.”
00:09:47.868 --> 00:09:50.402
He was very enthusiastic about it.
00:09:51.259 --> 00:09:54.177
Afterwards we exchanged
very respectful letters
00:09:54.227 --> 00:09:58.895
where I asked him to give me
the rights of a movie...
00:09:59.645 --> 00:10:02.519
based on the story
“Letters to Mom”,
00:10:02.614 --> 00:10:04.381
from the book Bestiario...
00:10:09.063 --> 00:10:14.796
\"Paris, May 21st, 1961.
My dear friend Antín:\"
00:10:15.223 --> 00:10:18.487
“Yesterday, as I came back from
Vienna, I found your letter.\"
00:10:19.407 --> 00:10:21.737
\"I would like to tell you
how much I appreciate
00:10:21.827 --> 00:10:26.103
the responsibility and
sensitivity of your approach
00:10:26.151 --> 00:10:28.693
on the movie based
on my story.”
00:10:29.242 --> 00:10:30.964
He chose that story.
00:10:31.228 --> 00:10:33.996
Of course, he thought the title
was not appropriate
00:10:34.022 --> 00:10:35.189
for the movie.
00:10:35.400 --> 00:10:40.932
“Letters to Mom” sounds like
a light comedy, doesn´t it?
00:10:41.416 --> 00:10:45.975
Then, an adaptation was made
and Manuel decided
00:10:46.342 --> 00:10:49.542
to call it “Odd number.”
00:10:50.033 --> 00:10:54.428
Cortázar agreed, he thought
it was reasonable.
00:10:55.331 --> 00:11:01.243
Half of the movie took place in Paris,
where he lived.
00:11:01.904 --> 00:11:05.735
At a square very near Cortázar´s home,
00:11:06.024 --> 00:11:08.833
called Place Furstenberg,
00:11:09.077 --> 00:11:11.377
a wonderful place in Paris.
00:11:14.798 --> 00:11:18.381
I was on the floor,
doing a low angle shot,
00:11:18.582 --> 00:11:20.965
watching Maria Rosa Gallo
as she approached,
00:11:21.067 --> 00:11:26.088
walking by the art galleries
on that alley.
00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:30.862
Suddenly, there were
two feet by my side.
00:11:30.915 --> 00:11:33.731
I raised my head,
Cortázar was very tall.
00:11:34.004 --> 00:11:38.311
But from where I was looking,
he was gigantic.
00:11:39.859 --> 00:11:41.701
That was the first time we met.
00:11:41.842 --> 00:11:48.840
Since then, we started talking
about movies, about literature.
00:11:49.434 --> 00:11:52.765
Mother´s letters are very
important to Laura.
00:11:54.428 --> 00:11:56.988
She reads them over and over...
00:11:57.521 --> 00:12:00.157
Always expecting this,
this mistake...
00:12:00.854 --> 00:12:04.796
This “Nico” instead of “Victor”
which mother has made.
00:12:09.007 --> 00:12:11.509
And now that it´s done,
00:12:11.535 --> 00:12:14.448
I simply can´t show Laura the letter.
00:12:15.159 --> 00:12:17.892
It´s not a matter of Bobby
running away,
00:12:17.918 --> 00:12:20.277
or the cat next door
having mang,
00:12:20.484 --> 00:12:23.172
or the dressmaker´s boy
getting burnt.
00:12:23.736 --> 00:12:28.398
Now it´s Nico, and Laura
has never mentioned him.
00:12:28.921 --> 00:12:32.784
We have an unspoken agreement
never to mention him.
00:12:34.248 --> 00:12:37.245
Something has happened between
Laura, Nico and myself.
00:12:37.905 --> 00:12:40.143
Nico is banned among us...
00:12:40.886 --> 00:12:43.402
and now mother mentions him.
00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:47.193
It´s like getting him up
again between us.
00:12:52.239 --> 00:12:54.907
\" I´m not smugger than
any other writer,
00:12:55.473 --> 00:12:58.599
but it is natural that
the massacres often seen
00:12:58.625 --> 00:13:02.623
in films inspire my suspicion
and mistrust.\"
00:13:02.840 --> 00:13:06.307
\"All those feelings give ground
to a great relief now.\"
00:13:06.467 --> 00:13:08.250
\" I feel I´m in good hands.\"
00:13:08.807 --> 00:13:12.574
We went to Paris with
a small staff: the gaffer,
00:13:12.600 --> 00:13:16.068
who was also the cameraman,
the production manager,
00:13:16.225 --> 00:13:19.217
the producer, who was Manuel’s
partner at that time,
00:13:19.243 --> 00:13:20.429
Manuel and me.
00:13:29.586 --> 00:13:35.355
The first shot was done
at Saint Lazare train station,
00:13:35.550 --> 00:13:40.206
where the character of the film
was supposed to arrive.
00:13:40.389 --> 00:13:46.641
Julio and Aurora went
there to see the shooting.
00:13:47.299 --> 00:13:49.126
That was the place where we met.
00:13:49.297 --> 00:13:52.738
We built a nice, friendly relationship,
00:13:52.802 --> 00:13:55.172
we went to their home
to have dinner,
00:13:55.276 --> 00:13:57.602
she hanged out with me,
00:13:57.834 --> 00:14:04.066
it was a cool relationship,
let´s say.
00:14:04.192 --> 00:14:06.619
He had a great sense of humor,
00:14:07.123 --> 00:14:10.158
he was fun and very tall.
00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:12.465
Aurora was quite short.
00:14:13.048 --> 00:14:14.886
She was really short.
00:14:15.387 --> 00:14:20.609
The house was a vertical property,
00:14:20.814 --> 00:14:24.260
it had an entrance,
the stairs that led
00:14:24.372 --> 00:14:26.312
to the first floor, another staircase,
00:14:26.338 --> 00:14:28.432
and the upper floor,
with shed roof.
00:14:28.503 --> 00:14:31.415
The ceiling was like this,
the dining room was there.
00:14:31.739 --> 00:14:34.641
We laughed a lot because
he walked where
00:14:34.667 --> 00:14:37.179
the ceiling was higher,
and she walked
00:14:37.226 --> 00:14:39.974
where the ceiling was lower.
00:14:40.107 --> 00:14:42.684
Last week another letter
from mom arrived.
00:14:43.738 --> 00:14:46.362
I did not show it to you,
I tore it apart and threw it away.
00:14:46.469 --> 00:14:48.643
I wanted to take that away from us.
00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:53.333
What did it say?
00:14:56.665 --> 00:15:00.157
“This morning Nico
asked about you.”
00:15:01.610 --> 00:15:05.729
As you see, without
mentioning him, he was here.
00:15:07.599 --> 00:15:11.632
What have we done to keep him
alive two years after he died?
00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:16.929
We had a pleasing dialogue
with the actors and crew.
00:15:17.567 --> 00:15:20.373
I remember one of them
blamed me for being
00:15:20.417 --> 00:15:22.484
too nice with them.
00:15:23.028 --> 00:15:25.694
They were used to directors
00:15:25.757 --> 00:15:29.226
that gave indications
with great assertiveness.
00:15:29.633 --> 00:15:30.766
That was not my case
00:15:30.920 --> 00:15:33.294
because I´ve always
been very insecure.
00:15:33.802 --> 00:15:37.645
So, my assertiveness
had no sense at all.
00:15:38.067 --> 00:15:43.502
Manuel was so important for me
he was so amusing.
00:15:43.923 --> 00:15:48.074
Having lunch with him,
it was one of the most
00:15:48.193 --> 00:15:53.851
rewarding things in life,
because he has a sharp,
00:15:53.921 --> 00:15:57.908
intelligent, vital, youthful
sense of humor.
00:15:58.310 --> 00:15:59.934
Manuel is like Picasso,
00:15:59.965 --> 00:16:03.623
who said that when you are young
you are young for life.
00:16:18.073 --> 00:16:20.819
Dear Ponchi and Manuel:
“All our love, from Aurora and me,
00:16:21.122 --> 00:16:23.428
we wish you happiness and joy,
00:16:23.562 --> 00:16:26.967
now and forever, Julio.”
00:16:29.688 --> 00:16:31.711
When we finished “Odd Number”,
00:16:31.787 --> 00:16:34.163
he came to Buenos Aires
to visit his mother.
00:16:35.092 --> 00:16:36.725
We watched the movie.
00:16:36.920 --> 00:16:41.909
The film was first exhibited
in a lab called Alex,
00:16:42.528 --> 00:16:44.655
at Dragones Street, in Nuñez.
00:16:45.606 --> 00:16:48.608
We were alone in room 7
of the lab.
00:16:49.187 --> 00:16:53.390
There is a scene in the film,
where the oldest son,
00:16:53.540 --> 00:16:57.771
who is in love with his
youngest brother’s girlfriend,
00:16:58.125 --> 00:17:03.049
looks at his mother as she is
going up the stairs, and says...
00:17:03.595 --> 00:17:04.972
Mother...
00:17:06.764 --> 00:17:08.887
Laura is like you.
00:17:10.739 --> 00:17:12.371
Laura is your own self.
00:17:12.463 --> 00:17:14.413
Laura is your own self.
00:17:14.907 --> 00:17:18.030
At that moment, Cortázar put
his hand on my shoulder
00:17:18.224 --> 00:17:20.455
and told me:
“Buddy, I understood my story.”
00:17:20.898 --> 00:17:23.716
I never really believed
in those words.
00:17:23.742 --> 00:17:27.336
I think that...
00:17:28.725 --> 00:17:31.755
possibly, the cinematographic
interpretation,
00:17:32.169 --> 00:17:36.126
I mean, the graphic of written words,
00:17:36.516 --> 00:17:39.330
might help understand
certain things.
00:17:39.821 --> 00:17:45.474
But I think that he was not aware
00:17:45.686 --> 00:17:48.949
of what he had created.
00:17:49.064 --> 00:17:52.950
Dialogues should include banalities.
00:17:53.102 --> 00:17:54.780
The expressions said by ladies:
00:17:55.659 --> 00:17:58.573
“What a nice living room,
so tidy, such good taste.”
00:17:59.268 --> 00:18:00.744
In theory, those phrases
are disgusting,
00:18:00.791 --> 00:18:02.439
but in a film that is taking place in
00:18:02.474 --> 00:18:07.150
the neighborhood of Almagro,
such things have to be said.
00:18:07.486 --> 00:18:09.548
For example, in the film
“The Venerable Ones”,
00:18:09.648 --> 00:18:12.387
what has been torturing me ...
00:18:12.723 --> 00:18:18.149
is that a total of 15 situational
phrases, which wouldn´t have
00:18:18.196 --> 00:18:22.892
changed the development
of the plot,
00:18:23.058 --> 00:18:26.414
would have softened
the situation and worked
00:18:26.442 --> 00:18:30.698
as a bridge to help
people understand...
00:18:31.442 --> 00:18:35.775
When Cortázar and I watched
“The Venerable Ones”,
00:18:37.814 --> 00:18:40.255
as we were leaving the theatre,
in Cannes, he said:
00:18:40.281 --> 00:18:44.571
“Manuel, I have overlooked
many things.
00:18:45.919 --> 00:18:49.860
Have you written a novel,
your own novel about it?”
00:18:49.886 --> 00:18:51.004
Yes, I have.
00:18:51.058 --> 00:18:53.366
-Have you published it?
-No, I haven’t.
00:18:53.733 --> 00:18:57.942
I would like to read it,
because I think there are some
00:18:58.067 --> 00:19:03.220
bridges missing in the movie.
00:19:03.439 --> 00:19:07.781
Those were his exact words.
So, I told him:
00:19:07.841 --> 00:19:11.735
“As soon as I know of someone
travelling to Europe,
00:19:11.891 --> 00:19:14.267
I will send you
the original copy.”
00:19:14.812 --> 00:19:16.907
I don´t remember who it was,
00:19:16.933 --> 00:19:19.962
but somebody took Cortázar
the original copy.
00:19:20.226 --> 00:19:23.109
It was the third or fourth
movie I worked in
00:19:23.862 --> 00:19:25.170
as director of photography.
00:19:25.231 --> 00:19:30.095
It is one of my favorite films,
because of its photography,
00:19:30.213 --> 00:19:36.049
my work, the script, all of it.
00:19:36.238 --> 00:19:40.595
I think that Manuel´s style
was reflected on that movie.
00:20:20.321 --> 00:20:23.682
Yes, yes, now I remember.
It is one of these three.
00:20:24.556 --> 00:20:27.248
I made this movie 53 years ago.
00:20:28.732 --> 00:20:32.513
I think they were right there
and she was waiting
00:20:32.943 --> 00:20:36.715
on the stairs, and fell asleep.
00:20:37.979 --> 00:20:39.813
Dora!
00:20:42.167 --> 00:20:43.622
What has happened?
00:20:46.188 --> 00:20:47.833
Let´s go upstairs now.
00:20:49.001 --> 00:20:50.168
Tell me what happened.
00:20:52.060 --> 00:20:56.293
We should go up now.
They are wet, soaked.
00:20:56.543 --> 00:21:01.235
The movie takes place in the 60s.
00:21:01.367 --> 00:21:07.212
It is dated in times of the
French Nouvelle Vague.
00:21:07.861 --> 00:21:13.307
One thing I would say is that
any author, Marguerite Duras
00:21:13.354 --> 00:21:18.040
or Robbe Grillet, people that wrote
films at that time,
00:21:18.525 --> 00:21:21.180
would have been extremely envious
00:21:21.524 --> 00:21:24.925
if they had watched this movie,
and seen how it was done.
00:21:25.482 --> 00:21:27.920
The script, the story,
the dialogues, everything...
00:21:27.946 --> 00:21:33.353
It is a bit mannered,
a bit affected, just a bit.
00:21:34.193 --> 00:21:40.091
Time went by, months passed,
and he said nothing about
00:21:40.224 --> 00:21:44.103
the bridges and the stories
he had mentioned.
00:21:44.525 --> 00:21:49.482
One day he wrote a letter to me
admitting he had lost the novel.
00:21:49.719 --> 00:21:55.008
He was a translator at UNESCO,
in Vienna.
00:21:55.346 --> 00:21:56.480
When leaving the hotel
00:21:56.506 --> 00:22:00.438
he left the novel
there and it got lost.
00:22:01.154 --> 00:22:05.063
My novel, the original,
the only copy that ever existed.
00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:10.031
Some years later, a mutual friend
00:22:11.289 --> 00:22:15.247
brought me the original
copy of Rayuela.
00:22:15.611 --> 00:22:17.591
I had to take it to Paco Porrua,
00:22:17.617 --> 00:22:19.881
who was editor of
Sudamericana Publishing.
00:22:20.147 --> 00:22:25.403
When I received the novel,
I read it and told him:
00:22:25.451 --> 00:22:29.418
“Julio, now I should take
revenge for the novel you lost
00:22:29.528 --> 00:22:32.740
and take this to Sudamericana,
pretending it is mine.\"
00:22:33.442 --> 00:22:35.286
It would have been fair.
00:22:35.661 --> 00:22:37.668
But I am the first
reader of Rayuela.
00:22:38.292 --> 00:22:39.427
Rayuela is for me
00:22:39.494 --> 00:22:41.794
like the Don Quixote of the
Argentine literature.
00:22:42.255 --> 00:22:44.593
Writing dialogues for a movie
is a very strange thing.
00:22:44.675 --> 00:22:48.796
It is like driving a car blindfolded.
00:22:49.158 --> 00:22:54.423
I lack my own descriptions,
my own way of setting things.
00:23:07.489 --> 00:23:11.225
\"Your idea of filming Circe
fills me with a secret enthusiasm.\"
00:23:11.741 --> 00:23:14.107
\" The secret aspect
is debatable, as Aurora knows
00:23:14.169 --> 00:23:16.867
how excited I am
about this possibility.\"
00:23:17.171 --> 00:23:20.898
\"Of course, if you are still
interested in the idea,
00:23:21.494 --> 00:23:24.679
you can fully count on me.\"
00:23:26.427 --> 00:23:30.663
We adapted the film
Circe in Sestri Levante,
00:23:32.251 --> 00:23:35.551
during a festival where
The Venerable Ones was shown.
00:23:37.330 --> 00:23:43.332
In Villa Balbi Hotel’s garden,
in Sestri Levante,
00:23:43.387 --> 00:23:47.913
which still exists,
as I was there a few years ago,
00:23:49.436 --> 00:23:54.965
he sent me these comments
about those dialogues,
00:23:55.074 --> 00:23:59.881
about the script structure
we had built together.
00:24:00.342 --> 00:24:05.172
The comments on the dialogues
were in that audio tape.
00:24:05.289 --> 00:24:06.993
That was the only time, yes.
00:24:16.108 --> 00:24:18.736
“Forget about everything
and make the movie,
00:24:18.853 --> 00:24:22.270
the rest has no relevance.”
00:24:28.507 --> 00:24:31.108
I cannot advance in a dialogue
without imagining
00:24:31.178 --> 00:24:33.437
situations, movements.
00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:36.089
Without them, the dialogue
becomes completely empty,
00:24:36.120 --> 00:24:39.291
and you will not
be able to guide yourself.
00:24:39.382 --> 00:24:43.021
For example, Mario
and Delia have been talking.
00:24:43.242 --> 00:24:47.116
Suddenly, changing
the subject, she asks:
00:24:47.530 --> 00:24:49.398
Do you think the weather
will be nice tomorrow?
00:24:49.424 --> 00:24:50.775
Mario, exasperated, answers:
00:24:51.178 --> 00:24:52.435
Why are you
changing the subject?
00:24:52.482 --> 00:24:55.264
So then, she caresses
him and says:
00:24:55.331 --> 00:24:57.596
I was thinking about
the yacht ride,
00:24:58.118 --> 00:24:59.671
I have never been in a yacht.
00:25:00.764 --> 00:25:03.008
Those things are only
seen in movies.
00:25:03.334 --> 00:25:04.634
Is the river too deep?
00:25:04.688 --> 00:25:09.131
When I wrote that question,
I saw a parallel image,
00:25:09.238 --> 00:25:10.438
you will see it too.
00:25:10.624 --> 00:25:15.156
I imagined either a reference
to Hector drowning in that river,
00:25:15.211 --> 00:25:19.068
or a repetition of one
of the scenes where Mario
00:25:19.241 --> 00:25:23.539
goes out for a walk on the place
he committed suicide.
00:25:49.276 --> 00:25:51.625
“You will be the King”,
says Macbeth.
00:25:52.384 --> 00:25:58.331
You will be Teresa,
or Mario, or Delia in Circe.
00:25:58.674 --> 00:26:04.331
Take a risk and try to do it
and you will have a great result.
00:26:04.425 --> 00:26:09.139
That is the best way I have
to direct actors and actresses.
00:26:09.533 --> 00:26:13.051
Some directors,
way more important than me,
00:26:13.582 --> 00:26:16.151
think completely the opposite.
00:26:16.177 --> 00:26:19.995
Let’s say Bergman,
not to mention others.
00:26:20.378 --> 00:26:22.869
He mistreated his actresses
if they didn’t do
00:26:22.947 --> 00:26:25.813
what he indicated.
00:26:26.125 --> 00:26:32.265
Manuel was like a fantastic
baton, how he took the lead.
00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:36.085
He planned and made
films very nicely.
00:26:36.577 --> 00:26:38.767
How he directed the shots.
00:26:39.416 --> 00:26:46.615
With Manuel, I had the same
experience as the one I had
00:26:46.701 --> 00:26:51.300
with Torre Nilsson, when I was
very young, at the age of 16.
00:26:51.956 --> 00:26:57.931
He places the cameras where
the heart is, the same as Favio,
00:26:58.501 --> 00:27:00.893
they are mentors.
00:27:01.415 --> 00:27:05.224
They tell you: “I will
have the camera here,
00:27:05.466 --> 00:27:09.000
you can do this or that,
feel free,
00:27:09.454 --> 00:27:11.595
feel what you’re going through.”
00:27:11.877 --> 00:27:15.244
Those are powerful ways
of teaching cinema.
00:27:15.338 --> 00:27:17.408
And Manuel had them.
00:27:18.400 --> 00:27:21.435
In the relationship between
the author and the director,
00:27:21.497 --> 00:27:24.281
film making has this characteristic
00:27:24.437 --> 00:27:30.979
of being a bit invasive
and authoritarian.
00:27:31.329 --> 00:27:36.474
The director is like the king,
he does what he wants.
00:27:38.100 --> 00:27:42.127
I will never forget
some scenes of my life.
00:27:42.354 --> 00:27:48.425
When we had to shoot the scene
with cockroaches, in Circe.
00:27:50.481 --> 00:27:55.082
Every day,
when the filming day was over,
00:27:55.476 --> 00:27:59.611
the crew gathered
with the head of production,
00:27:59.767 --> 00:28:01.117
and everyone asked
00:28:01.143 --> 00:28:03.320
for the things they would
need the following day.
00:28:03.346 --> 00:28:05.804
I remember this
unforgettable dialogue:
00:28:06.727 --> 00:28:11.055
The head of production
said: “Sir”...
00:28:12.915 --> 00:28:15.088
Because we treated
one another formally,
00:28:15.752 --> 00:28:20.094
“Sir, How many cockroaches
will you need tomorrow?”
00:28:20.688 --> 00:28:24.385
I was shocked because
I didn’t know what to say.
00:28:24.455 --> 00:28:26.228
But didn’t want to
disappoint him,
00:28:26.338 --> 00:28:28.245
so I told him:“ Two dozen.”
00:28:29.378 --> 00:28:34.522
As he wouldn’t budge an inch,
he asked: “What color?”
00:28:50.165 --> 00:28:51.549
In Delia’s character,
00:28:51.657 --> 00:28:54.764
a continuous contrast
must be shown.
00:28:55.100 --> 00:28:57.715
You can suspect terrible
things about her,
00:28:57.741 --> 00:29:00.304
but, at the same time,
there has to be something
00:29:00.796 --> 00:29:02.298
to redeem her.
00:29:02.383 --> 00:29:05.855
Being a pretty actress or
having a nice voice
00:29:05.952 --> 00:29:07.685
is not enough.
00:29:09.706 --> 00:29:10.711
How delightful!
00:29:10.737 --> 00:29:13.042
There has to be a diabolic side,
but at the same time,
00:29:13.115 --> 00:29:16.952
there has to be a woman that...
00:29:17.162 --> 00:29:21.211
The audience might have the impression
00:29:21.259 --> 00:29:26.788
that this diabolic woman holds
some kind of protest
00:29:26.827 --> 00:29:28.625
against her own condition.
00:29:29.203 --> 00:29:32.396
We have to avoid all
manicheanism with Delia
00:29:32.435 --> 00:29:37.076
If we show her too dark,
the audience will lose interest.
00:29:37.178 --> 00:29:41.191
Nobody is interested in a film
where a character is guilty
00:29:41.217 --> 00:29:43.589
from the very beginning,
even though he doesn’t know
00:29:43.615 --> 00:29:46.114
what that person is guilty of.
00:29:46.735 --> 00:29:49.694
All my life, I will be
grateful to Manuel Antín
00:29:50.196 --> 00:29:51.602
for bringing me close to him.
00:29:51.646 --> 00:29:57.663
He gave me one of the greatest
compliments I’ve ever received.
00:29:58.421 --> 00:30:01.982
“Graciela Borges is
so pretty, so pretty!”
00:30:02.889 --> 00:30:07.866
The fact that he liked me
filled me with pride.
00:30:08.209 --> 00:30:10.158
He fell in love
with the actresses,
00:30:10.609 --> 00:30:13.022
in the same way I fell in love
with the characters.
00:30:13.065 --> 00:30:16.423
I am alive. I am neither
Hector nor Rolo.
00:30:17.220 --> 00:30:19.282
So, what are you?
00:30:20.478 --> 00:30:21.369
Mario.
00:30:21.411 --> 00:30:24.777
That is who you are,
I asked what you are.
00:30:26.702 --> 00:30:29.135
Delia, I wish you stopped
talking to me in that tone.
00:30:29.840 --> 00:30:32.619
Alberto Argibay and I
worked together a lot.
00:30:34.453 --> 00:30:37.773
He was such a nice,
special person,
00:30:38.208 --> 00:30:40.643
it was easy to fall in love
with him,
00:30:42.958 --> 00:30:45.944
you have to fall in love a bit
with the actors you work with.
00:30:46.499 --> 00:30:48.829
I am talking about sensuality, not sex,
00:30:49.050 --> 00:30:55.443
I am talking about love, heart,
wanting to hug one another,
00:30:56.052 --> 00:30:57.483
and sharing things.
00:30:57.702 --> 00:31:01.785
He was a very shy
and loving person,
00:31:03.621 --> 00:31:06.199
very protective of me.
00:31:07.085 --> 00:31:09.675
Alberto Argibay was
such a nice person.
00:31:10.167 --> 00:31:13.393
The house drawn by Aurora,
who is a specialist in blueprints,
00:31:13.520 --> 00:31:15.030
is the kind of house
00:31:15.100 --> 00:31:17.216
you can find in many
neighborhoods in Buenos Aires.
00:31:17.271 --> 00:31:21.150
Such a house could be very
well explored by the camera.
00:31:21.221 --> 00:31:24.199
I think it will have more
suggestion and power than
00:31:24.277 --> 00:31:29.924
a conventional detached house
or petit hotel.
00:31:29.956 --> 00:31:33.095
European people are less
interested in them.
00:31:35.618 --> 00:31:39.654
Aurora has just arrived
from the museums.
00:31:40.332 --> 00:31:43.890
Just one museum, not many museums.
00:31:44.242 --> 00:31:47.005
When you are a cultured
person, my dear.
00:31:47.333 --> 00:31:50.702
I have heard all the things that
Julio Cortázar y Obes has told you
00:31:50.748 --> 00:31:53.561
about the house´s decoration.
00:31:53.686 --> 00:31:55.430
If you’d like to hear my opinion...
00:31:55.813 --> 00:32:02.756
The house was in Belgrano R
neighborhood, on Cramer Street.
00:32:02.834 --> 00:32:08.431
Most interior scenes
were shot there.
00:32:08.626 --> 00:32:14.749
There was an outdoor scene
with a garden and a hallway.
00:32:14.795 --> 00:32:18.532
But that famous hallway
did not belong to the house.
00:32:18.609 --> 00:32:22.442
As that house had no hallway,
those scenes were shot
00:32:22.520 --> 00:32:25.806
in Palermo, on Darregueira Street,
00:32:25.832 --> 00:32:29.576
in a house that had a fence,
an entrance with a garden
00:32:29.638 --> 00:32:32.999
and a hallway, and a style
which was similar
00:32:33.047 --> 00:32:34.447
to the other one.
00:32:38.100 --> 00:32:45.134
I’ve never insisted on having
a specific music or place.
00:32:45.243 --> 00:32:51.315
Places were chosen by the stage
designer and the music...
00:32:51.791 --> 00:32:54.477
then, I was in charge of
the mess of editing,
00:32:55.066 --> 00:32:59.471
which was my revenge.
My father in law was mad at me
00:32:59.615 --> 00:33:02.603
because I cut where
I was not supposed to,
00:33:02.837 --> 00:33:05.188
but those were real decisions.
00:33:06.394 --> 00:33:07.897
You are not
to blame with anything
00:33:08.031 --> 00:33:09.931
neither with Rolo
nor with Hector.
00:33:13.480 --> 00:33:15.113
You should not worry that much,
00:33:15.421 --> 00:33:17.171
you heard what your
father said today.
00:33:17.779 --> 00:33:21.165
It could happen to anyone,
I had once a friend
00:33:21.272 --> 00:33:22.838
called Suárez that...
00:33:23.580 --> 00:33:25.207
I have already told you that,
haven’t I?
00:33:26.941 --> 00:33:29.428
The one whose girlfriend died
the day before the wedding.
00:33:29.768 --> 00:33:30.860
I liked that rabbit.
00:33:31.349 --> 00:33:32.968
We could have kept him
in the backyard
00:33:33.037 --> 00:33:34.301
and would not be arguing now.
00:33:34.505 --> 00:33:36.899
You are asking me for a miracle,
Delia. What can I do?
00:33:37.681 --> 00:33:41.371
It was sold this morning.
There was another one,
00:33:42.244 --> 00:33:44.268
but his eyes were not red,
as you wanted.
00:33:44.952 --> 00:33:46.319
I liked the white one.
00:33:47.704 --> 00:33:51.666
Well, they promised they would
have another one soon.
00:33:53.080 --> 00:33:55.406
You know I always try to please you.
00:33:59.674 --> 00:34:02.970
Anyway, every day I feel
more and more lonely.
00:34:03.049 --> 00:34:06.827
Movies can improve considerably
with the music.
00:34:06.951 --> 00:34:08.992
In Circe, my father,
who was a musician,
00:34:09.062 --> 00:34:10.937
did the music.
00:34:11.354 --> 00:34:15.529
He was a cellist
in the beginning,
00:34:16.086 --> 00:34:18.920
but he also worked as
an orchestra director
00:34:19.100 --> 00:34:21.771
and as a professor
in La Plata University
00:34:22.136 --> 00:34:26.562
and Buenos Aires Conservatory.
00:34:44.968 --> 00:34:48.077
My father in law
had very old instruments.
00:34:48.834 --> 00:34:57.716
One of them was a unique model
of violoncello,
00:34:58.593 --> 00:35:01.213
called “the cello of forgiveness”
because the person who
00:35:01.291 --> 00:35:08.125
had made that instrument
was to be executed or hanged
00:35:08.156 --> 00:35:10.508
during the French Revolution,
but was pardoned
00:35:10.797 --> 00:35:13.867
for having created
such a wonderful instrument.
00:35:14.167 --> 00:35:16.352
Hence the name.
00:35:19.531 --> 00:35:23.306
I think that Hector and Rolo’s
presence should be of a more
00:35:23.339 --> 00:35:27.349
obsessive nature, more spectral
in the final sequence.
00:35:27.673 --> 00:35:29.798
The three of them,
two dead persons and one living
00:35:29.837 --> 00:35:31.971
should form a kind of
horrible dance where
00:35:31.999 --> 00:35:36.864
the dead will try
to warn Mario, to save him,
00:35:36.895 --> 00:35:39.231
while Delia keeps pushing him
to sacrifice.
00:35:39.567 --> 00:35:47.047
At that time, when movies
were told in a traditional way,
00:35:47.128 --> 00:35:53.572
literature created the style of a movie.
00:35:54.321 --> 00:35:58.541
Then I rubbed it on myself.
00:35:58.581 --> 00:36:01.480
Afterwards, throughout
my movies,
00:36:01.512 --> 00:36:06.462
except for some
duds that were there,
00:36:07.962 --> 00:36:12.218
I could develop my
own way of telling a story,
00:36:12.244 --> 00:36:18.538
which I explained as the way
the human mind
00:36:18.968 --> 00:36:24.569
recalls everything,
because no one is able
00:36:24.595 --> 00:36:28.776
to remember the story of their life
in an organized way.
00:36:29.394 --> 00:36:34.275
The ideal film viewer
is the one who can
00:36:34.301 --> 00:36:36.883
put together the puzzle
told by the director
00:36:37.055 --> 00:36:39.670
and the author of the movie.
00:36:40.467 --> 00:36:43.432
\"I can see that you are eager
to talk about my point of view
00:36:43.458 --> 00:36:46.573
on the connection between
literature and films.
00:36:47.001 --> 00:36:49.130
It’s very simple.
You come to Berlin
00:36:49.232 --> 00:36:50.997
and we can talk about it
until we drop.
00:36:51.380 --> 00:36:55.971
I hope to hear from you soon,
crossing my fingers so that
00:36:56.261 --> 00:37:00.113
everything, including of course
the premiere of Circe in Buenos Aires,
00:37:00.371 --> 00:37:04.124
turns out exactly as you wish.
00:37:04.618 --> 00:37:08.823
All our love
for both of you, Julio.\"
00:37:10.847 --> 00:37:16.031
The mirror is a way
of reflecting on oneself.
00:37:16.116 --> 00:37:20.525
Reflection is a different
and alien reality,
00:37:20.564 --> 00:37:24.202
and at the same time,
it is equivalent to oneself
00:37:24.474 --> 00:37:28.731
and a way of holding
a dialogue with yourself.
00:37:29.786 --> 00:37:37.195
I remember that he approached
the mirror, it was like a kiss.
00:37:39.703 --> 00:37:44.346
One of the most subtle,
alluring and beautiful images
00:37:44.416 --> 00:37:47.884
I’ve ever seen in Manuel’s
movies and in films in general.
00:37:48.517 --> 00:37:51.532
I’m not talking about me,
it’s the arrangement of scenes,
00:37:51.577 --> 00:37:52.843
all of it.
00:37:54.414 --> 00:37:58.171
Some directors shoot
with a camera that loves you,
00:37:58.538 --> 00:37:59.966
and you can feel it.
00:38:00.412 --> 00:38:06.796
Others, are more neutral,
they just don’t fall in love with you.
00:38:07.758 --> 00:38:11.223
I feel that Manuel
was in love with me,
00:38:11.325 --> 00:38:13.379
with Ponchi’s permission,
because I mean it
00:38:13.480 --> 00:38:15.842
in the most pure
and wonderful way.
00:38:15.868 --> 00:38:17.998
Because I was in love
with him too.
00:38:19.491 --> 00:38:21.923
It was censored,
I defended it,
00:38:21.993 --> 00:38:24.516
it took me a year
to premiere the film.
00:38:24.626 --> 00:38:29.217
I tried to make the censor
realize that the shamefulness
00:38:29.280 --> 00:38:31.306
was in his head, not in the movie.
00:38:31.743 --> 00:38:34.754
It was what he believed
the image reflected.
00:38:34.793 --> 00:38:37.741
The image did not show
anything punishable.
00:38:37.952 --> 00:38:40.393
I don’t know what happened
to the censor,
00:38:40.487 --> 00:38:42.794
we will never know.
00:38:43.461 --> 00:38:46.362
The wonderful thing
about it is the resistance.
00:38:46.620 --> 00:38:50.072
Films are resistance,
and Manuel showed
00:38:50.174 --> 00:38:53.631
a full commitment to his
films, his beliefs,
00:38:54.349 --> 00:38:58.609
to Julio Cortázar,
to this character.
00:38:58.664 --> 00:39:00.422
The scene of the mirror
was crucial,
00:39:00.448 --> 00:39:03.015
the way she looked at
the mirror and loved herself,
00:39:03.074 --> 00:39:06.260
in such a strange, special
and sensual way.
00:39:07.081 --> 00:39:09.555
Actually, only my back
could be seen,
00:39:09.742 --> 00:39:16.904
but I wanted to cover my chest,
my whole body, and Manuel
00:39:17.263 --> 00:39:21.773
made it so simple and clean,
he was brilliant.
00:39:22.804 --> 00:39:25.257
You can feel with your head
or with your heart,
00:39:25.414 --> 00:39:28.415
that is eroticism,
it’s not pornography,
00:39:28.547 --> 00:39:35.314
it is an image that awakens
a special feeling.
00:39:36.064 --> 00:39:38.726
I’ve always been surprised
by critics’ reviews,
00:39:39.084 --> 00:39:42.696
their interpretation of the films.
00:39:42.907 --> 00:39:47.518
One day, in a press conference,
a critic told me something
00:39:47.707 --> 00:39:49.533
I would have never imagined.
00:39:49.611 --> 00:39:54.904
He said: “You have described
Argentina, a beautiful country
00:39:55.270 --> 00:39:58.095
that self-satisfies itself,
not caring about
00:39:58.283 --> 00:39:59.713
the outside world.”
00:40:00.205 --> 00:40:05.222
It’s a bit like Circe’s character,
whose boyfriends
00:40:05.287 --> 00:40:10.221
gradually disappeared.
00:40:15.592 --> 00:40:19.993
Now, let`s talk about something
essential: the chocolate.
00:40:20.430 --> 00:40:25.535
I’ve been thinking a lot
and discussed it with Aurora.
00:40:25.738 --> 00:40:32.137
Without taking any strength
or horror to the movie,
00:40:32.574 --> 00:40:37.995
we could delete the vision of the nasty
chocolate with the cockroach.
00:40:38.460 --> 00:40:42.161
We can remove it if we add
00:40:42.187 --> 00:40:44.296
two or three previous
references, for example,
00:40:44.322 --> 00:40:46.544
the moment when the light
is turned on in the kitchen
00:40:46.576 --> 00:40:48.666
and the cockroaches
are running away.
00:40:49.561 --> 00:40:53.275
In the movie, there have been
many references about
00:40:53.329 --> 00:40:57.144
the malice of those chocolates.
00:40:57.487 --> 00:40:59.926
On the final scene,
00:40:59.952 --> 00:41:07.418
I can imagine Delia approaching,
as if it were a Greek tragedy.
00:41:21.053 --> 00:41:22.953
Delia, what is this bonbon made of?
00:41:31.343 --> 00:41:36.094
I completed scene 31
and from then on,
00:41:36.274 --> 00:41:41.005
I couldn’t make the dialogues
based on your script.
00:41:41.341 --> 00:41:45.437
Something didn’t work,
neither psychologically
00:41:45.492 --> 00:41:49.379
nor historically, I mean,
within the narrative time.
00:41:49.410 --> 00:41:51.985
I couldn`t see,
I was completely blind,
00:41:52.018 --> 00:41:55.906
I had no other solution
than trying to imagine...
00:41:55.977 --> 00:42:01.178
\"My dear Manuel,
Berlin is such a great city,
00:42:01.606 --> 00:42:04.902
much more beautiful than
Samarkand, than Baghdad,
00:42:04.937 --> 00:42:08.516
than Paris, and God knows how
hard it is for me to admit this.\"
00:42:09.000 --> 00:42:13.653
\"The news about the invitation,
let`s be polite, ladies first,
00:42:13.880 --> 00:42:17.100
Delia is the one who is invited
and the poor Germans don’t know
00:42:17.146 --> 00:42:20.880
who they are inviting.
Anyway, I’m so excited about it.\"
00:42:21.114 --> 00:42:25.089
\"You say you are waiting for
your trip to be arranged,
00:42:25.115 --> 00:42:30.520
please don´t share your cabin
or your seat with Delia.\"
00:42:30.712 --> 00:42:34.647
\"I guess that if Circe is invited,
your presence is a fact.\"
00:42:54.114 --> 00:43:00.238
I was doing a theater play
with María Rosa Gallo,
00:43:00.410 --> 00:43:04.004
Tito Alonso, the text
was written by Dragún.
00:43:04.309 --> 00:43:07.737
Someone called me
on behalf of Antín,
00:43:07.886 --> 00:43:12.118
and told me that Nilsson
told him about me.
00:43:12.646 --> 00:43:15.798
Manuel wanted to meet me.
00:44:02.184 --> 00:44:06.232
The leading character
was so special,
00:44:06.271 --> 00:44:08.339
the author of the story
was Cortázar,
00:44:08.510 --> 00:44:10.532
and the film directed
by Manuel Antín.
00:44:11.160 --> 00:44:13.583
At that time, Paco Rabal
00:44:13.653 --> 00:44:16.721
was a very important
actor, worldwide.
00:44:16.957 --> 00:44:20.035
August 19th, 1964.
00:44:20.215 --> 00:44:24.361
\"Dear Manuel, firstly,
the script is brilliant.\"
00:44:24.689 --> 00:44:27.598
\"I think that a great movie
could be done with it.\"
00:44:27.738 --> 00:44:29.915
\"I still believe that it is one
of the stories you are
00:44:29.962 --> 00:44:33.567
most engaged with,
it is dangerously delicate,
00:44:33.692 --> 00:44:35.920
one mistake and we can fall
into the water.\"
00:44:36.873 --> 00:44:40.022
\"Either you pin the arrow on
the target or lose everything.\"
00:44:40.579 --> 00:44:42.493
The movie
“Intimidad de los Parques”
00:44:42.555 --> 00:44:45.330
was an accident,
because we filmed
00:44:46.412 --> 00:44:52.198
in different places and had
very little money.
00:44:53.331 --> 00:44:56.882
We couldn’t watch the material
on a daily basis, as other times,
00:44:56.992 --> 00:44:59.513
as we should.
00:45:00.067 --> 00:45:05.918
We travelled a lot,
from Machu Picchu to Lima,
00:45:05.997 --> 00:45:12.146
Peru and there were no labs
in such places, so...
00:45:12.310 --> 00:45:15.065
\"We have another problem:
Machu Picchu.\"
00:45:15.283 --> 00:45:18.707
\"In one of your letters,
you say it is not absurd
00:45:18.856 --> 00:45:24.706
that in Incan o pre Incan ruins
someone finds an idol
00:45:24.732 --> 00:45:28.505
similar to the idols
found on the Greek Islands.\"
00:45:28.747 --> 00:45:35.897
It was a difficult trip.
We went from Lima to Cuzco
00:45:36.530 --> 00:45:40.219
on a small airplane
between the mountains,
00:45:40.274 --> 00:45:43.034
it seemed like the wings
were touching them.
00:45:43.753 --> 00:45:49.248
We arrived at Cuzco,
4000 meters above sea level.
00:45:49.273 --> 00:45:51.603
When you got off the plane
you were...
00:45:51.821 --> 00:45:56.337
From there we took
a small train,
00:45:56.618 --> 00:46:04.436
it was like a funicular,
it went up, then down
00:46:04.490 --> 00:46:08.816
and up again.
It was terrible.
00:46:08.863 --> 00:46:12.638
We got down at a station,
I don’t remember its name,
00:46:12.701 --> 00:46:20.200
then, we took a van uphill,
it travelled at 100 km/hour,
00:46:20.254 --> 00:46:22.339
our hearts jumped into our mouths.
00:46:22.635 --> 00:46:28.983
The plane, the small train,
the excitement of going up there.
00:46:31.349 --> 00:46:36.851
Cuzco is a marvelous city.
,
00:46:37.391 --> 00:46:39.762
Its history...
00:46:39.995 --> 00:46:42.361
along with our story.
00:46:42.493 --> 00:46:46.288
It was very, very moving.
00:46:47.101 --> 00:46:50.204
\"I think that this first draft
does not work at all.\"
00:46:50.914 --> 00:46:53.490
\"Last night, Aurora read it
and she was even more
00:46:53.529 --> 00:46:55.067
categorical than me.\"
00:46:55.744 --> 00:46:59.159
\"You have removed all
supernatural motivation of drama,
00:46:59.801 --> 00:47:02.883
placing it in an erotic
and psychological field.\"
00:47:04.296 --> 00:47:08.808
We discovered a new world,
so different, a world completely
00:47:09.097 --> 00:47:13.151
strange for us.
00:47:13.393 --> 00:47:14.823
Three strangers...
00:47:16.452 --> 00:47:19.803
An actress and two actors
meeting for the first time
00:47:19.850 --> 00:47:24.775
and one director
in a ghostly landscape
00:47:24.877 --> 00:47:28.055
like Machu Picchu.
00:47:28.195 --> 00:47:31.039
The sunset was incredible there.
00:47:32.772 --> 00:47:41.070
The river Urubamba,
with its powerful sound,
00:47:42.419 --> 00:47:48.943
the rocks, watching the clouds
rising and vanishing
00:47:49.154 --> 00:47:51.295
during sunrise.
00:47:53.975 --> 00:47:57.783
Manuel is a great poet.
00:47:59.799 --> 00:48:04.287
I always say that his movies
are filmed poems.
00:48:05.035 --> 00:48:09.109
When you watch Manuel’s movies,
you perceive the essence
00:48:09.422 --> 00:48:12.388
of the poet he is.
00:48:12.662 --> 00:48:15.799
And his personality has to do with it,
00:48:17.166 --> 00:48:20.135
his sense of humor,
the tone of his voice,
00:48:20.276 --> 00:48:22.143
they all have to do with it.
00:48:23.299 --> 00:48:26.154
I don’t understand how you like talking
with those mummies.
00:48:26.474 --> 00:48:29.544
They are practically part of
the family, aren’t they, Hector?
00:48:31.313 --> 00:48:33.379
What awful people!
00:48:51.610 --> 00:48:53.417
I don´t know
what we would do...
00:48:54.828 --> 00:48:56.062
I don’t get you.
00:48:56.895 --> 00:48:59.198
Yes, what we would do if
those mummies were not there.
00:49:00.490 --> 00:49:05.166
It is like small strokes
of the memory
00:49:05.233 --> 00:49:07.533
that keep on appearing.
00:49:07.619 --> 00:49:11.658
You can freeze time
on every moment,
00:49:11.684 --> 00:49:13.020
that’s what memories are.
00:49:13.402 --> 00:49:20.692
Memories are specific facts,
like pictures paused
00:49:20.877 --> 00:49:22.980
in the memory
of each one of us.
00:49:23.176 --> 00:49:26.490
I remember
the shooting environment,
00:49:27.215 --> 00:49:31.645
there was a kind of respect.
00:49:33.528 --> 00:49:39.584
It was not something
we decided to do.
00:49:39.905 --> 00:49:46.711
It was a respect for the theme
of the movie and the place.
00:49:46.963 --> 00:49:54.492
We respected the work
that we were doing.
00:49:54.929 --> 00:49:56.940
I think that this is reflected .
00:49:58.973 --> 00:50:00.973
is reflected...in the movie.
00:50:02.122 --> 00:50:05.503
At times, they seem
to be ceremonies, don’t they?
00:50:06.433 --> 00:50:09.979
\"He effortlessly remembered
the names and images
00:50:10.005 --> 00:50:11.614
of the leading characters...\"
00:50:12.193 --> 00:50:14.953
\"He was defeated by a fantastic illusion
almost immediately.\"
00:50:16.420 --> 00:50:19.709
\"She enjoyed the almost perverse
pleasure of splitting
00:50:19.756 --> 00:50:21.959
from the things that
surrounded them, line by line,
00:50:23.294 --> 00:50:25.682
feeling that her head rested
on the velvet
00:50:25.737 --> 00:50:27.569
of the high headboard\"
00:50:28.205 --> 00:50:33.123
\"That cigarettes were still close by,
that beyond the large window,
00:50:33.350 --> 00:50:36.194
the air of sunset
danced beneath the oaks.\"
00:50:37.328 --> 00:50:41.722
\"Word by word, she witnessed
their last meeting on the beach.\"
00:50:42.090 --> 00:50:47.096
I still remember Paco’s voice,
his words.
00:50:48.035 --> 00:50:53.883
Every time, everywhere I listen,
word by word...
00:50:55.618 --> 00:51:00.576
Paco’s voice comes to my head,
that house,
00:51:01.677 --> 00:51:04.043
I can see it,
as if it were right here.
00:51:04.728 --> 00:51:11.812
It’s like it all happened
last week.
00:51:16.265 --> 00:51:20.258
The stones are
the most important character.
00:51:21.248 --> 00:51:29.887
In the film, there is a sensory
work in Theresa, my character,
00:51:30.246 --> 00:51:36.719
caressing herself as a cat
against the stones.
00:51:46.051 --> 00:51:53.728
I think that Manuel made me live
that situation naturally.
00:51:57.051 --> 00:52:04.988
He made me believe
it was happening to me.
00:52:07.596 --> 00:52:14.168
Cortázar wrote this: “We liked
the pictures very much, really.
00:52:14.387 --> 00:52:18.778
The girl is beautiful”,
Oh, this is...
00:52:18.919 --> 00:52:21.374
“She has such a sensitive face,
00:52:21.400 --> 00:52:26.166
those faces are my favorite ones,
00:52:26.594 --> 00:52:29.094
little flesh and a lot of charm.”
00:52:34.500 --> 00:52:40.188
\"Dear Manuel, my stories suppose
the unalienated acceptance
00:52:40.233 --> 00:52:41.999
of dark forces.\"
00:52:42.446 --> 00:52:46.588
\"Their malice is not only
the result of trauma
00:52:46.681 --> 00:52:50.145
or pathological feelings.\"
00:52:50.631 --> 00:52:52.972
\"It is an active and deliberate
00:52:53.073 --> 00:52:57.378
intervention of evil forces
invading the characters.\"
00:52:59.552 --> 00:53:03.231
\"Nobody gets naked and licks
an axe if he is not possessed.\"
00:53:03.975 --> 00:53:10.190
\"In my story, the idol is active.
If you reduce it to a mere symbol
00:53:10.244 --> 00:53:13.532
where the passions of three
human beings are developed,
00:53:13.642 --> 00:53:18.027
you will betray me
and the result will not be good.\"
00:53:19.027 --> 00:53:23.645
\"It might just be a film by MA
vaguely inspired on a novel
00:53:23.708 --> 00:53:27.770
written by JC, but there
will be no relationship
00:53:27.810 --> 00:53:30.041
or close collaboration
between us.\"
00:53:30.458 --> 00:53:33.810
It is a very rare situation
for a film director
00:53:34.342 --> 00:53:39.473
having to shoot a movie
with the author´s voice
00:53:39.499 --> 00:53:42.579
chasing him everywhere.
00:54:36.423 --> 00:54:39.161
There’s a scene with Paco
where I’m naked,
00:54:39.269 --> 00:54:46.075
it was really awkward
because it was the first time
00:54:46.300 --> 00:54:49.948
I was naked in a movie...
00:54:49.982 --> 00:54:57.428
Afterwards, I did other nude
scenes, but that was my first.
00:54:58.483 --> 00:55:01.206
\"Due to your nature
and personal preferences,
00:55:01.401 --> 00:55:05.982
you don’t like fantastic
or supernatural solutions.\"
00:55:06.113 --> 00:55:09.142
\"If you feel that way,
do not film the idol,
00:55:11.606 --> 00:55:14.333
because this story
is powerful as long as
00:55:14.591 --> 00:55:17.701
the idol triggers
the interaction between forces.\"
00:55:19.634 --> 00:55:23.997
\"It would be perfect if you could
develop the story of the triangle
00:55:24.059 --> 00:55:27.139
as you usually do,
provided the audience
00:55:27.165 --> 00:55:30.712
understood what the characters
are not able to:
00:55:31.470 --> 00:55:33.941
that the idol is using them,
it is making them lose
00:55:35.955 --> 00:55:40.075
their minds little by little
so that they serve him.\"
00:55:42.173 --> 00:55:47.106
He was really mad, but I didn’t
pay attention to him.
00:56:44.366 --> 00:56:45.966
I need you.
00:56:46.496 --> 00:56:48.881
Wait for me.
I’ll be there right away.
00:57:01.160 --> 00:57:04.273
The changes in altitude
and weather damaged
00:57:04.374 --> 00:57:09.226
a great part of the material.
00:57:09.780 --> 00:57:16.268
There were some white spots
on the Dupont black and white celluloid,
00:57:16.794 --> 00:57:20.677
...some white spots appeared...
00:57:21.294 --> 00:57:24.306
which technicians called static.
00:57:24.496 --> 00:57:30.312
When I arrived at Buenos Aires,
I found that 40 per cent
00:57:30.406 --> 00:57:37.551
of the material was useless,
so I had to make the movie
00:57:37.614 --> 00:57:40.798
with what was left.
00:57:41.001 --> 00:57:47.796
The original movie lasts
63 or 64 minutes,
00:57:48.671 --> 00:57:55.343
I had to add situations,
repeat scenes,
00:57:55.397 --> 00:57:58.475
so that the film
could be longer.
00:57:58.968 --> 00:58:01.935
That wasn´t planned
on the script
00:58:02.201 --> 00:58:04.861
and it affected the movie,
of course.
00:58:05.887 --> 00:58:10.999
Your movie is a matter of study,
you led the way.
00:58:11.178 --> 00:58:15.413
Since then, many film
directors had more freedom
00:58:15.452 --> 00:58:18.954
to think about certain things.
Some situations were resolved
00:58:18.988 --> 00:58:21.268
because the film had
to last 60 minutes.
00:58:21.350 --> 00:58:22.615
Yes, that’s right.
00:58:23.165 --> 00:58:25.358
It is the misery,
because if we had been
00:58:25.413 --> 00:58:28.288
in Hollywood, we would have
come back with all the equipment,
00:58:28.381 --> 00:58:36.779
staff and actors and would have
filmed and made
00:58:36.811 --> 00:58:40.304
maybe a worst movie.
00:58:41.228 --> 00:58:45.031
I ‘ve always watched that movie
with closed eyes,
00:58:45.156 --> 00:58:50.041
because in every scene
I remember what is missing.
00:58:51.313 --> 00:58:52.882
It was premiered at a small theatre,
00:58:52.915 --> 00:59:02.599
at a Latin American port,
I believe it was in 1965.
00:59:04.057 --> 00:59:09.191
The theater was burnt down
by the audience because
00:59:09.302 --> 00:59:10.936
they didn’t understand
the movie.
00:59:12.610 --> 00:59:16.937
That makes the movie
even greater, because in France,
00:59:17.350 --> 00:59:23.505
the film Hernani, by Victor Hugo
also made the audience set fire
00:59:23.674 --> 00:59:25.764
to the theater
where it was premiered.
00:59:25.865 --> 00:59:28.775
In that sense,
we should recognize
00:59:28.956 --> 00:59:32.645
the film has some merit.
00:59:40.418 --> 00:59:44.106
\"The Cuban experience made me
vulnerable and I am
00:59:45.005 --> 00:59:47.961
in no condition to tell you about it.\"
00:59:48.790 --> 00:59:51.046
\"But I think it was worth the effort.\"
00:59:51.641 --> 00:59:56.280
\"If I were in my 20s
and not such a petit bourgeois,
00:59:56.427 --> 00:59:58.693
I would stay there
and help them.\"
00:59:59.617 --> 01:00:04.697
\"Death awaits Cuba anytime now,
but those people know
01:00:04.916 --> 01:00:07.566
what to die for,
unlike most of us.\"
01:00:10.885 --> 01:00:15.509
The changes in Cortázar’s life
were evident after
01:00:15.813 --> 01:00:22.248
he divorced Aurora.
Since then, he became
01:00:22.490 --> 01:00:28.939
more engaged in politics
and ideology than in literature.
01:00:29.110 --> 01:00:33.039
Due to his work at UNESCO,
he travelled to Cuba
01:00:34.228 --> 01:00:37.437
and as if he were a teenager,
he went crazy
01:00:37.491 --> 01:00:39.189
about the revolution.
01:00:39.215 --> 01:00:45.702
He was near 60 and became
passionate for the revolution,
01:00:45.728 --> 01:00:55.346
he was a real transmitter
of the Cuban ideas,
01:00:56.072 --> 01:00:57.692
something romantic.
01:00:57.971 --> 01:00:59.744
He let his beard grow.
01:00:59.916 --> 01:01:02.113
I always distinguish
the beardless Cortázar
01:01:02.152 --> 01:01:06.978
from the bearded one,
because the person who wrote
01:01:07.004 --> 01:01:09.835
the books we all admire
is the beardless one.
01:01:10.139 --> 01:01:14.416
He wrote one last letter to me,
where he said that because of
01:01:14.619 --> 01:01:19.244
his political activity,
it was dangerous for me
01:01:19.270 --> 01:01:20.691
to receive his letters.
01:01:20.754 --> 01:01:24.834
At that time, Argentina
was governed by the military
01:01:25.270 --> 01:01:27.666
and Cortázar’s letters,
in his opinion,
01:01:27.734 --> 01:01:31.709
could be inconvenient for me.
01:01:35.141 --> 01:01:43.632
I took the post in October 1983
during Alfonsín’s government.
01:01:43.772 --> 01:01:48.086
The first measure I took
at the Institute,
01:01:48.367 --> 01:01:51.980
with the support of all the government,
01:01:52.190 --> 01:01:56.703
was to eliminate
all kinds of censorship.
01:01:56.797 --> 01:02:04.485
Some of my films were premiered
one or two years later
01:02:04.688 --> 01:02:08.188
because they had images
that were incompatible
01:02:08.269 --> 01:02:12.869
with morality, as the scene
where Delia kisses herself
01:02:12.895 --> 01:02:14.862
on the mirror, in Circe.
01:02:22.863 --> 01:02:26.749
This is the last paragraph
of the last letter I received
01:02:26.836 --> 01:02:31.044
from Cortázar, that’s why it is framed.
01:02:33.185 --> 01:02:35.110
He said:
01:02:36.173 --> 01:02:37.858
\"I told you I would
send just a few lines,
01:02:37.954 --> 01:02:40.196
and here I am with all this hassle,
01:02:40.571 --> 01:02:43.695
but I’m so happy to contact you again.\"
01:02:44.046 --> 01:02:49.212
\"I wish you came to Europe
and met me after such a long time.\"
01:02:49.782 --> 01:02:53.013
\"You know that after my political work,
01:02:53.426 --> 01:02:57.022
it is not convenient for me
to go to Buenos Aires.\"
01:02:58.043 --> 01:03:01.957
\"As a Spanish guy once said:
I’m not afraid of bullets.
01:03:02.450 --> 01:03:04.873
I’m afraid of being struck
by a speeding bullet.”
01:03:05.678 --> 01:03:07.801
\"All my love to Ponchi, to the children,
01:03:08.584 --> 01:03:11.050
and thanks again for your message.
01:03:11.427 --> 01:03:13.986
A big hug from your friend: Julio.\"
01:03:24.372 --> 01:03:27.427
\"Someday, we will exchange
more joyful letters.\"
01:03:28.265 --> 01:03:32.367
\"I hope so and wish for it,
I even know it.\"
01:03:33.420 --> 01:03:37.522
\"I have witnessed your strength,
determination and courage.\"
01:03:38.382 --> 01:03:41.683
\"Don’t give up, brother.
As I don’t give up when
01:03:41.723 --> 01:03:44.911
hearing those vernacular
nasty remarks.\"
01:03:45.678 --> 01:03:49.311
\"All my love to Ponchi,
to my niece and nephew,
01:03:49.786 --> 01:03:54.235
and a big hug for you.
I love you so much, Julio.\"
01:03:56.958 --> 01:03:59.495
Julio Cortázar left us
a wide literary work:
01:03:59.670 --> 01:04:03.662
Hopscotch, 62: A Model Kit,
Bestiary, End of the Game,
01:04:03.688 --> 01:04:06.506
The Secret Weapons,
All Fires The Fire,
01:04:06.602 --> 01:04:09.050
Historias de Cronopios y Famas,
among others,
01:04:09.280 --> 01:04:11.511
which have been translated
into many languages.
01:04:11.537 --> 01:04:14.910
He had a vast humanist militancy.
He died on February 14th, 1984,
01:04:14.988 --> 01:04:15.929
in Paris.
01:04:16.622 --> 01:04:19.008
Manuel Antín directed 12 films.
01:04:19.067 --> 01:04:21.926
In 1983, during the democratic
government in Argentina,
01:04:22.076 --> 01:04:24.866
he abolished censorship
when he was appointed director
01:04:24.913 --> 01:04:26.711
of the National Film Institute.
01:04:26.755 --> 01:04:28.329
In 1991, he created the foundation
01:04:28.397 --> 01:04:31.415
Universidad del Cine,
attended by many Argentine
01:04:31.523 --> 01:04:34.509
and foreign students.
01:04:36.755 --> 01:04:39.655
ENLIGHTENED LETTERS
01:04:39.894 --> 01:04:41.961
A film by Cynthia Rajschmir
01:04:46.493 --> 01:04:48.586
Dedicated to my father,
Simón Rajschmir,
01:04:48.943 --> 01:04:51.076
and my children
Iván and León Straijer.
Distributor: Pragda Films
Length: 66 minutes
Date: 2018
Genre: Expository
Language: Spanish
Grade: High School, College, Adult
Color/BW:
/
Closed Captioning: Available
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